Summer reading assignment: Go see Paper Route on tour.
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13 years ago
wrestling angels and college football in the south
We are officially 30 days away from the start of the college football season. I have done my part as a fan and spent this summer watching "tribute" videos and highlight reels on YouTube attempting to satisfy the jones that I'm experiencing for the fall and Auburn football.
More times than not this method of self medication has been effective in quinching my thirst in the seemingly endless drought that is the off-season. That is until tonight when I stumbled upon the following video that not only reminded me of an idol of my youth (Coach Pat Dye), but sparked a yearning for the escape from reality that four months of Saturdays provides the soul every autumn.
This video reminded me that the poetry of life and loving your fellow man exists in every arena, and sometimes it is sweetest when spoken with a southern drawl in a lockerroom on an autumn Saturday.
fiction friday no. 1 Friday, July 25, 2008
About Fiction Friday: I've decided to set a goal of doing something creative every week. To acheive this goal I'll be writing. Any story that pops into my head. I'll post what I write on (tah-dah) Friday.
"Wake up," she said in a matter-of-fact, uninterested way. The words hung in the thick unconditioned summer air of his bedroom on the main floor of the neglected WWII-era cottage he called home. Her tone was flat, but also jarring without exerting any energy. She carried herself with an air that made it seem she simply could not be bothered to wake up a classmate for a late afternoon Biology lab. She could, however, use contagious lethargy as an excuse to blow off the lab herself.
He stirred to the sound of her voice and the shuffling of her flip-flopped feet. He turned his face away from the cool plaster wall to survey the afternoon sunlight cast onto the dark timber floor. He pulled the sheets back, squinted his disapproval of the interruption before running his hands through the rat nest that was his hair. She fondled the rows and stacks of textbooks, modern classics and empty compact disc cases, busying herself like one does when trying to avoid staring at the person getting dressed right in front of them.
The nonchalant way in which he moved about the room belied the smile her presence caused in his heart. Still having not said a word, he moved to the joining bathroom to brush his teeth and put on the tee shirt he had pulled off the night before. Staring at himself in the mirror his eyes told him the truth he had yet to stomach. They would not survive without scars. They would both be hurt. He would break her heart to save his own.
She was in his bed when he returned, back against the wall where a headboard should be with her knees drawn up to her chest. A crooked smile appeared on her sun kissed face. “I don’t want to go,” she confessed. “Let’s go get a bottle of wine and smoke cigarettes all afternoon.”
He crossed the room dragging his backpack. He playfully messed with her hair before crashing down beside her.
She laid her head on his shoulder.
school's in session Friday, July 18, 2008
Beer school that is... my good friends Josh and Brian have been drinking beer since the beginning of July, well that's as long as their drinking has been documented on the internet. The best thing is that they aren't just drinking it - they have, out of the kindness of their hearts, begun to educate the masses on the benefits of enjoying "good" beer.
Best thing about this site and these two fellas? They invite you and I out to drink with them in Nashville. Just follow their Twitter to know when and where to meet them.
give it away, give it away, give it away, give it away now
Nashville two-piece Disappointed by Candy are using NoiseTrade to give away "copies" of their self titled release from Grey Matters. The album is a gem of a recording and has grabbed the attention of everyone from PASTE to NYLON (so if you fall somewhere between those two demographics - you won't be disappointed). The idea is not a bad one, actually it's pretty cool. NoiseTrade dubs itself as FairTradeMusic - which I guess translates into a business model of a) pay what you want or b) download for free after recommending this album to three friends. Sounds like a win-win to me... unless you don't have a cent to your name OR any friends.
Anyway, if you don't have the record yet take this opportunity to grab it and turn your friends onto some new music.
memphis on a "motorcycle" Sunday, July 13, 2008
... i know it's sideways. it was an artistic choice.
snakes on a plane... to heaven???
These folks are cr-aaaaaa-zy! CNN reports that more than 100 deadly snakes were confiscated from the home of pastor Gregory James Coots (yes that's really his last name.) Coots is the pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name (yes that's really the "church's" name) in Middleboro, Kentucky (thank God I live in Tennessee) where snake-handling is a regular part of the weekly services. Apparently some of the more exotic and deadly snakes were imported from Asia and Africa, which prompted one of my new favorite quotes - ever - from Kentucky Zoo Director Jim Harrison, who is taking in the snakes, "You can purchase anything off the Internet except common sense." You said it Jim!
paper route releases 'are we all forgotten' today
Paper Route's latest EP came out today and is available everywhere. iTunes and Amazon have it for a steal but I'm sure the packaging is sweet since member JT Daly designed it. The band is also out on the road and their live shows are not to be missed. You can check all their tour dates and watch their videos on their Myspace page.
ten out of tenn Monday, July 7, 2008
Here they come again... a couple of good friends of mine are hitting the road and playing music in places where live music is listened to and enjoyed. You should check it out. Here is the 4-1-1 from the horse's mouth (so to speak.)
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We're taking Nashville's music scene on the road in a few weeks as part of the Ten out of Tenn Tour, presented by American Songwriter Magazine. We'll be jumping on Willy Nelson's old tour bus and the show will be ten of Nashville's best playing a few songs each and being each others back up band. We'll be keeping a blog along the way at American Songwriter's website and a documentary crew will be along for the ride rolling tape. Visit the TOT WEBSITE to read more about each artist. The lineup is: Butterfly Boucher, Griffin House, Andy Davis, Jeremy Lister, Matthew Perryman Jones, Katie Herzig, Tyler James, K.S. Rhoads, Trent Dabbs & Erin McCarley.
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Lucky for us in Nashville they are playing a cd release show on July 19th at Cannery Ballroom.
surprised by hope Friday, July 4, 2008
I haven't read it yet, but it's on my list... [Surpised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church] I have read some interesting interviews with it's author tonight. Needless to say they've got me thinking.
TIME Magazine
ABC News
Colbert Report [video]
More on Bishop N.T. Wright
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